


"This is kinda why I'm here..."

by cunzy4



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: And the elusive brother, Child Neglect, Gen, Harrison angst, because we all wanted that, bite-sized angst ft. Harrison, broken family relationships, gratuitous headcanons, someone please stop me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 10:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12011232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cunzy4/pseuds/cunzy4
Summary: "HE MADE HIS BROTHER DISAPPEAR!"Missing scene where Harrison does exactly that.





	"This is kinda why I'm here..."

**Author's Note:**

> Before you say anything, YES I KNOW I'm supposed to be working on Kool-Aid. But I couldn't stop myself. Enjoy the feels.

December had always been Harrison’s favorite month.

He loved the way the snow drifted against the window, lending a magical feeling to the view. He loved the cozy warmth of the fireplace, contrasting so dramatically with the biting chill outside. Most of all, he loved the way his seventeen uncles, cousins, and grandparents traveled from all over the country to spend Christmas as a family and fill the normally-quiet house with laughter and cheer. 

Like any family, they had their share of Christmas traditions. Every year, Harrison and his cousins held a friendly competition on Christmas Eve, showing off their talents to the older generation. There had been incidents involving broken lamps and temper tantrums, but the tradition persisted regardless. Harrison had never been the star of the show, but this year, he had a secret weapon. 

Harrison fidgeted impatiently as his cousin Zoey turned cartwheels across the living room, blonde hair flying. Some of his cousins were so... trite _._ He’d been practicing for weeks to perfect this trick, and he  _ almost  _ had it right. Close enough, anyway. This was going to blow those Muggles away.

_ Come on, come on, I can't take waiting anymore, _  he silently urged. _Get off the stage already._  

“Thank you, Zoey, that was lovely,” his grandma gushed as his seven-year-old cousin sat down between his uncle and aunt. “Who would like to go next?”

“Oh! Me!” Harrison blurted. “I”ll go next!”

His parents smiled fondly at each other. “Harrison’s been dying to show you all his new magic tricks,” his mother explained as Harrison leaped to his feet. 

“He’s been practicing for ages,” his father added proudly. His parents had always been supportive of Harrison’s talent.

His grandfather pointed the video camera at Harrison as he fiddled with his cape and brand-new top hat. It fell down over his ears sometimes, but he loved it anyway. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Harrison announced in as loud a voice as he could manage. Proper magic was all about showmanship. “Prepare to be amazed by the magnificent Harrison! Witness the power of true magic in action, and prepare your minds to be blown!”

His introduction earned a smattering of polite applause as he swept his hat off his head. Grinning from ear to ear as he pulled his annoying cousin Mark’s rabbit out of the hat, he was rewarded with gasps of surprise from the audience. The look on Mark’s face was totally worth having to sit on the couch for an hour with the rabbit sitting on his head beneath the hat.

It was good, but not good enough. Even when he pulled a quarter from behind his aunt Deborah’s ear, she only gave him a smile of polite interest. These were no better than the lame tricks he'd tried last year.

_ Come on, Harrison, this is amateur hour,  _ he scolded himself.  _ You’re nine years old now. You’re good enough to steal the show. It’s time to bring out the secret weapon. _

“For my next trick, I’ll need a volunteer from the audience!” Harrison pretended to scan the assembled group. “How about… Tyler?”

Harrison’s baby brother, not quite a year old, sat in their dad’s lap and watched the show without an ounce of comprehension. Still, he burbled happily at the sound of his name.

"Are you sure you don't want to use Chloe or Tamara?" his father checked. "I'm sure they'd love to be part of the show."

Harrison scoffed. "Dad, everyone knows babies are chock-full of magic! It's gotta be him!"

_Besides, the twins are about as fun as a pile of rabbit droppings,_ he added to himself.   


“Be careful,” his mother warned as Harrison picked up his brother. 

“Shh, you’re ruining the magic,” Harrison hissed. “I got this, Mom. It’s gonna be awesome.”

Tyler giggled as Harrison displayed the baby to the audience. He could practically  _ feel  _ the magic in his fingertips. This trick was going to be incredible.

“Ladies and gentlemen, gaze in amazement at the greatest trick of all time: I’m going to make this baby… disappear!” he declared proudly. 

_ Now  _ he had the audience’s attention. His uncles and aunts were all spellbound, his cousins silent for once, as Harrison held Tyler in one arm and dramatically drew an oversized handkerchief out of a hidden pocket with the other. 

“Are you ready, Tyler?” Harrison cooed. “Ready to go bye-bye?”

The baby gurgled happily as Harrison draped the handkerchief over him. It shifted as Tyler clutched at it with his tiny hands. 

“Now I say the magic words,” Harrison waved his free hand over the handkerchief. “Abracadabra… Alaka _ zam!”  _

With a dramatic flourish, Harrison whipped the handkerchief off the baby. The audience gasped in synchrony as Harrison showed them his empty hands.

In that moment, Harrison was the happiest he’d ever been. He’d managed to pull off his greatest trick ever, and it was everything he’d imagined. His parents were beaming, his grandparents laughing. His cousins, even the annoying ones, were all stunned into frozen silence. 

_ This,  _ he thought,  _ is the greatest moment of my life. _

“Well done, Harrison!” his mother cheered. “That was incredible!”

Harrison bowed deeply. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! I’ll be here all week!”

“All right,” his father laughed. “Now bring Tyler back and we’ll go eat dinner. What did you do, stuff him in your pocket?”

Harrison laughed along, trying to hide the sudden twinge of nerves. This had been the part of the trick he’d never managed to get consistently right. Still, he was sure it would be fine. Probably.

He folded the handkerchief over his closed fist. “And… voila!” He whipped it off again, only to reveal an empty hand.

The audience chuckled. “Very funny, Harrison.” His father rolled his eyes. “Now pull him out of your hat or whatever.”

“Uhh…” Harrison tilted his hat experimentally, half-expecting the baby to tumble out of it. He shook the handkerchief again for good measure, to no avail.

The laughter had stopped. “Harrison, this isn’t funny,” his mother scolded. “Bring Tyler back now, or you’ll go without dessert.”

“I- I’m trying!” Harrison protested. “I- I just-”

His parents had stood up. “Harrison, where’s Tyler?” his father demanded.

Harrison shrank back. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" his mother shrieked.

"I- I  _don't know!"_ Harrison cried. "He- he was supposed to come back!"

His aunts and uncles were talking urgently, his cousins exclaiming with alarm. But Harrison was only looking at his parents, who were looking back at him with dismay… and fear.

His parents were afraid of him.

After that, there was a whirlwind of activity; his relatives turning the house upside down in search of Tyler, the police arriving to question everyone, his mother crying uncontrollably; a quiet, somber Christmas morning where his parents couldn’t even stand to look at him…

Four months passed. Four months of tense silence, four months where his parents left the room when Harrison walked in, where they screamed whenever he tried to wear his top hat, where Harrison sat in his room and cried and tried again and again to pull Tyler out of whatever wormhole he had accidentally stuck him into, so his family would be whole again.

His parents didn’t even tell him to his face that they’d decided to send him to summer camp. Instead, they slipped the brochure under his bedroom door and left him to pack his own things.

Part of Harrison wanted to burn the hat and never practice magic again. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else. But another part of him, a stronger part, thought that if he just kept practicing, someday he would be able to bring Tyler back.

And then his parents would love him again.


End file.
